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[Report] Dan Bylsma a Candidate for Canucks Head Coach


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http://www.vancouversun.com/touch/story.html?id=9916117

Bylsma Definitely on Bennings Coaching Radar

IAIN MACINTYRE, VANCOUVER SUN

Unless youre his neighbour or co-worker, you probably haven't seen Jim Benning around Vancouver since he was named the Canucks general manager two weeks ago.

He has had a few things on his plate, which further overflowed Friday with the firing of Pittsburgh Penguins coach Dan Bylsma. And Bennings workload will only increase as the June 27-28 entry draft approaches and the Canucks try to move up.

Hiring a head coach is on Bennings to-do list, and that item will probably remain there until at least the end of the National Hockey League and American Hockey League seasons.

"We've been in meetings all day, so we havent had a chance to really sit down and talk about it," Benning said Friday afternoon of Bylsmas sudden availability. "But he's an interesting name, for sure."

"We're going to wait until the NHL is done and the AHL is done. We're going to do our due diligence on this. We want to make sure we pick the right guy that's right for this group. So were going to take our time and do the work. It has gone good so far and I expect it to keep going good."

Benning and his boss, Canuck president of hockey operations Trevor Linden, began interviewing candidates this week.

But the two coaches believed to be at the front of the field, Los Angeles Kings assistant John Stevens and minor-league coach Willie Desjardins of the Texas Stars, are still working. So it won't extend the hiring process when Benning suspends his coaching search next week to concentrate on the Canucks scouting summit in Whistler.

Benning will gather together the full amateur and professional scouting staffs he inherited from former GM Mike Gillis.

Given the Canucks failure the last decade to draft and develop players, then introduce them into the organization's NHL lineup, Bennings defence of long-time chief scout Ron Delorme and his staff is surprising to some people.

But Benning rose in management on the amateur scouting side of operations, remains a scout at heart and understands its an unfair oversimplification simply to look at the lack of in internally-developed Canuck players in recent years and conclude the amateur scouts dont know what they're doing.

The Canucks, for instance, have had fewer picks at the draft than any NHL team the last eight years because Gillis and his predecessors, Dave Nonis and Brian Burke, regularly traded them. From the time Burke was hired in 1998, the Canucks have had a second-round pick in only seven of 15 entry drafts. In seven drafts, they've had no third-round selection.

"They've been a real strong organization for the last 10 years," Benning said. "I came from Boston and in some ways we did the same thing. When youre close to winning, sometimes you sacrifice draft picks and young prospects to add that one more piece you think gives you a chance to win the Cup. Over the course of time, it catches up with you. Maybe it caught up with our organization a little bit now."

Still, not having a full quota of picks doesnt excuse some poor choices that have been made.

The Canucks only two notable NHL regulars so far produced from the last eight drafts 2006 first-rounder Michael Grabner and 2008 first pick Cody Hodgson play for other teams.

"I've known some of the guys on this staff a long time," Benning said of his scouts, whom he gathered in Toronto last week for the draft combine. "I didn't work in the organization, so I don't know what the direction was. Im going to keep an open mind with everybody. Were going to assess everybody as we go along and if we feel we need to make changes well make them. But I'm going to give everybody a fair chance to show what they can do."

"Its a hard job. You're gone three weeks on the road every month. If you have kids and family stuff, its a big sacrifice. Getting to know the players in all the different regions around the world, its a hard job. I understand it. I know the draft this year because I was out on the road a lot this year, so I'm going to give these guys direction and communicate with them the types of players that we want."

Amateur scouting meetings will fill the first three days in Whistler, Benning said. He and his staff will assign a numerical rating to every draft prospect from Canada, the U.S. and Europe, then compile a master draft list. Thursday and Friday will be devoted to pro scouting. Every NHL player will be rated, and Benning said his group will determine which players to target in free agency or in trade.

One of the most interesting discussions will be what to do with the Canucks first-round pick at No. 6. Vancouver should get a good player at that position. But there appears to be a dropoff after the first four picks and if the Canucks want one of the top centres, Sam Reinhart or Sam Bennett, Benning will have to trade up.

"We're going to explore everything," he said. "We feel we're going to get a real good player at six. But we're going to explore moving up, if we can, and what the cost is. If were able to do it, that would be great. But were happy where we are at six."

Benning has been putting in 12- to 14-hour days. But it is a good tired.

"I always say, aside from being a player, the funnest two times of the year for me are the amateur draft and being part of the trade deadline," he said. "The adrenalin gets flowing and you make decisions that matter."

http://blogs.theprovince.com/2014/06/06/gallagher-does-bylsma-go-from-fired-penguins-coach-to-canucks-frontrunner-in-the-course-of-one-day/

Nobody knows Benning well enough to get a feeling for which way he might be leaning. But if Bylsma enters the mix, he'll join Mike Johnston, the Portland Winterhawks coach and former Canucks assistant, Los Angeles Kings assistant John Stevens, and Texas Stars head coach Willie Desjardins as the frontrunners in the Canucks coaching sweepstakes.

http://youtu.be/xAaMWcCdDW4

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What does my post count have to do with anything?

Ohhh, a soft spot for you.. Well the reference was you cutting the kid with 2 posts a break, then i asked if you remembered your 2nd post. So that was what it had to do with it,,,

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But Benning rose in management on the amateur scouting side of operations, remains a scout at heart and understands its an unfair oversimplification simply to look at the lack of in internally-developed Canuck players in recent years and conclude the amateur scouts dont know what they're doing.

It's quotes like these that help me believe that there's still some sanity left in sports journalism here in Vancouver.

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The Penguins fans on HF Boards hate him, but we hates AV, so I guess it's not all rational...

Seems like his best players turned on him as well and his playoff record speaks for itself..I'd definitely pass

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Ohhh, a soft spot for you.. Well the reference was you cutting the kid with 2 posts a break, then i asked if you remembered your 2nd post. So that was what it had to do with it,,,

Trolling? .. again? .. how rare and exotic! .. the subtlety is readily apparent.

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This isn't a report.

It's a senile old man with as much knowledge of the coaching candidates as the people on these boards have speculating on how an unemployed coach with a Cup should be a candidate for the position here.

Well no shat Sherlock. Thanks for enlightening us though Tony.

My teaching moment to the kid with two posts...don't post the diatribes of one Tony G and that other hack Botchford. They don't add any credibility to your posts.

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The Penguins fans on HF Boards hate him, but we hates AV, so I guess it's not all rational...

people only hate on AV because him going to New York and succeeding just proves that our team is the problem and he wasn't

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